A Day Like No Other
by Ms Sherlock Holmes
Summary: A window gets broken and all the kids run off before they can be all blamed. Meanwhile, Casey and Derek have feelings for each other. Can they admit their love while also escaping trouble? Casey/Derek.
1. Untypical breakfast

Casey woke up bright and early on Saturday. She got up, took a shower, got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast. The kitchen was empty.

"Huh. I guess that I'm the first one up," thought Casey.

She turned on the stove, turned on the stereo, put on her favorite CD, took some eggs out from the fridge and started cooking breakfast.

***

Derek woke up with a start. He just had the weirdest, probably craziest dream ever.

In the dream, he was coming down the stairs and spotted Casey sitting on the couch watching TV. He thought of this as the perfect opportunity to scare her but thought better of it. Derek walked over to the TV and turned it off.

"Der-ek!" complained Casey angrily.

Derek continued to stare at her.

"Der-" started Casey, but she got cut off.

Derek covered her mouth with his and started to kiss her. She kissed him back with no hesitation. The weirdest and craziest part about this was that Derek was enjoying every minute of this to the fullest. Realizing this, Derek woke up.

Derek groaned. Why on earth would he have a dream like _that_ about his _stepsister?_ And _like_ it? And okay, they're not blood-related but _still!_ Derek groaned once again and got out of bed. It was too early for _him_ to be up but after a dream like _that,_ he doubted that he would be able to go back to sleep. He stretched and went downstairs.

While going down the stairs, he heard music and recognized Casey's CD.

"Oh look. The Princess is up," thought Derek.

But for some reason, he felt glad that he would get to spend some time alone with her.

He jumped the last steps, walked towards the kitchen and froze at the entrance. Casey was dancing her way through making breakfast. Her hips moved from side-to-side, she would twirl and her body would just move, be in synch, with the beat. Well, she _was_ a dancer.

Derek didn't understand. Usually, he would feel repulsed watching his stepsister dance but now, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. As the song ended, Casey gave one final twirl and stopped face-to-face with Derek. She froze, wide-eyed and Derek felt embarrassed for getting caught staring.

"Oh. Derek. You're up," said Casey, surprised.

"Thank you, Captain Obvious," replied Derek, sitting at the island.

"I don't mean _that._ I meant that you're early. Way early. What gives?" asked Casey, returning to the stove.

"Oh. I had a weird dream," answered Derek, surprised at his honesty.

"Oh? What was it about?" asked Casey curiously, setting a plate in front of Derek.

"_That's,_ none of your business," replied Derek, as Casey placed some eggs on his plate.

"Fine. _Whatever,_" said Casey, rolling her eyes as she sat down with an omelet.

They ate in silence, only the sound of Casey's CD breaking it. Derek refused to tell her the content of his dream. He'd make her freak out more than usual, which usually, he'd get a kick out of. But today, he didn't want that. He got up, went up to the fridge, took out a carton of milk and took a large swig out of it.

"Der-ek!" came Casey's sharp voice.

Derek winced but quickly regained his composure.

"What?" asked Derek, wondering why he was bothered by annoying Casey.

"How many times do I have to tell you _not_ to do that? We make food with that milk!" exclaimed Casey angrily.

"How many times do I have to tell _you,_ Princess, that I don't care?" asked Derek, putting the milk away.

"Don't call me _Princess, _Der!" demanded Casey, using the nickname he hated.

"Call me that one more time, Case…" threatened Derek.

"Or what, Derek? Call me _Case?_" demanded Casey.

"I…Never mind," replied Derek.

Just then, Marti came in.

"Hi, Casey! Hi, Smerek!" exclaimed Marti happily.

"Hi, Marti!" greeted Casey with a smile.

"Hey, Smarti! What're you doing up this early?" asked Derek, picking her up and setting her on the island.

"That's my question!" exclaimed Marti.

"She's always up early," explained Casey smugly.

"I couldn't sleep," explained Derek to Marti.

"Oh. Okay," said Marti.

"Edwin!"

They all looked at the ceiling. They winced when a huge crash came from upstairs. They looked at the door leading to the basement that led to their parents' bedroom. Not a sound. They breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't need their parents involved.

"Well, looks like Edwin and Lizzie are at it again," remarked Casey.

"So early!" exclaimed Marti, shaking her head.

Derek sighed and walked towards the entrance of the kitchen. He leaned against the doorway and waited.

Casey and Marti looked at each other. What was Derek doing?

Suddenly, Edwin came barreling down the stairs and ran into the kitchen. Derek grabbed Edwin's shirt collar and pulled him back. Casey understood what he was doing and placed herself in front of Derek.

"Edwin! Get back here!"

Lizzie came charging down the stairs and ran into the kitchen. Casey threw her arms around her little sister and kept her from destroying Edwin.

"All right you two, settle down," said Casey.

"Not until I pulverize him!" yelled Lizzie, struggling to break free.

Edwin hid behind his brother but Derek pulled him back.

"All right, Edwin, what did you do?" asked Derek, keeping a firm grip on Edwin.

"I didn't do anything!" exclaimed Edwin, fearing for his life.

"Liar! He went through my stuff looking for my diary!" exclaimed Lizzie angrily.

"That's terrible! Wait. You have a diary?" questioned Casey.

"Yeah, for a while now. I've found out how helpful it is," replied Lizzie.

"I was trying to find out some information on you and Jamie," said Edwin

"There's nothing between me and Jamie! He's just a friend!" exclaimed Lizzie furiously.

Derek and Casey looked at each other and nodded. They let go of their siblings and Lizzie chased Edwin around the kitchen and out the back door.

"Well, looks like when they'll be back, Edwin's gonna be black and blue," said Derek.

Casey giggled and Derek stared.

"Did I…just make her laugh?" thought Derek, his heart accelerating.

"Yeah, that's true! I'd better take out the first aid kit!" giggled Casey cheerfully.

Ignoring Derek's stare, she turned to Marti.

"So, how about I make you breakfast?" asked Casey sweetly.

"Yay! Cereal! Coco Puffs!" exclaimed Marti excitedly.

"Okay," said Casey, taking out the cereal box.

Derek watched her take out a bowl and pour cereal in it. He walked towards the fridge and took out two cartons of milk. He threw the one he drank out of in the sink, opened the new one and poured milk into Marti's bowl. Casey blinked as Derek put the milk away.

"Wait. Derek's being helpful? That's weird. That's unlike him. Then again, he's not completely himself this morning," thought Casey, taken aback and staring at Derek's back.

Derek felt Casey's gaze on him and blushed.

"Why am I blushing? Derek Venturi _never_ blushes _or_ feels embarrassed," thought Derek nervously.

"Derek? Is something up? You're acting a little weird. I mean, weirder than usual," said Casey worriedly.

Derek slowly turned around and Casey stifled a gasp.

"Derek's blushing! Now I _know_ something's up!" thought Casey, alarmed.

"I-I'm fine. Really. Or maybe I'm just tired, since I woke up early this morning. I think I'll go back to bed. Yeah, I'll go do that!" said Derek, rushing out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

He entered his room, slammed the door shut and fell on his bed.

"What's happening to me?" wondered Derek out loud.

**Please read and review.**


	2. Let's sneak out

Casey stared after Derek.

"What's wrong with Smerek?" asked Marti, eating her cereal.

"I don't know, Marti. I really don't know," answered Casey.

She looked at her parent's bedroom door.

"After all that noise, Mom and George didn't wake up? Amazing," thought Casey.

The back door slammed open and Casey and Marti jumped. Edwin came back with Lizzie still on his tail. They ran around the kitchen and living room and they ran upstairs.

Casey closed the back door and heard footsteps rushing up the steps coming from the basement. Casey took a good look at the door and gasped. The window was cracked from top to bottom. She ran to the island, grabbed Marti, rushed out of the kitchen and ran upstairs.

George and Nora emerged from their bedroom.

"What was all that noise?" asked George.

"Sounded like a slamming door. And other things," replied Nora, tying her bathrobe.

They spotted the island, where dishes with unfinished food were on it.

"Looks like the kids are up and were here," said George, heading towards the door.

"And Casey was cooking breakfast for herself, Marti and surprisingly, Derek. Looks like the kids were up early, even Derek," pointed out Nora, sitting at the island.

"AAAH! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOOR?!" yelled George.

Nora rushed to her husband's side and saw the window.

"KIDS!! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!!" yelled Nora.

***

Upstairs, Derek, Casey, Edwin, Lizzie and Marti rushed out of their bedrooms and met in the middle of the hallway.

"What did we do?" asked Edwin nervously.

"You cracked the window of the back door when you slammed it open!" exclaimed Casey.

"How badly?" asked Lizzie.

"Try the whole window!" exclaimed Casey, slightly panicking.

"Calm down, Princess. We'll figure something out," said Derek, putting his t-shirt on.

Casey couldn't help but notice how cute he looked in a simple combination of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Daddy and Nora are mad," said Marti.

"Way mad," replied Lizzie, meeting Edwin's eyes.

"Marti. Did you change without having anyone telling you to?" asked Casey in amazement.

"Yep!" exclaimed Marti proudly.

"All right, Smarti!" exclaimed Derek, picking Marti up.

They all applauded.

"I'm number one! I'm number one!" exclaimed Marti.

"That you are," said Casey.

"KIDS!! WE KNOW YOU'RE UP THERE!! GET DOWN HERE NOW OR ELSE!!

They winced. Derek put Marti down.

"What do they mean by _else_? It can't be worse than what they already have in mind," said Edwin, getting scared.

Derek had an idea.

"Let's sneak out," said Derek.

"What?!" asked Casey.

"Let's sneak out. We'll sneak downstairs and out the front door. Dad and Nora will be waiting by the back door so if we do this without making any noise, we should succeed," explained Derek as if it were obvious.

"Won't that get us into even more trouble than we already are?" asked Lizzie, uncertain.

"Look, either we sneak out and stay alive a little longer or we face them now and lose our lives," said Derek.

"I'm in," said Marti.

"We're in," said Edwin and Lizzie together.

They all looked at Casey. A few seconds passed.

"All right. I'm in," said Casey.

"Great. Now here's what we're going to do," said Derek.

They huddled together, conquering up a plan.

**Author's note: I know it's kindda short but I hope it's good all the same.**

**Please read and review.**


	3. At the park

Later, everything was set. They were all at the top of the stairs. Derek picked up Marti and quietly went down the stairs. He tiptoed towards the door, slowly opened it and stepped outside, leaving the door open. Edwin did the same, shortly followed by Lizzie. Casey quietly followed, silently closing the door while exiting.

They ran all the way to the end of the street. They stopped at the corner.

"I think we should go our separate ways so that we don't get caught as easily," said Edwin reasonably.

"Good idea. I'll go with Casey and Edwin, Lizzie and Marti, you guys stick together," ordered Derek.

"Right," said Lizzie and Edwin.

"Why can't I go with you, Smerek?" asked Marti sadly.

"Because it's best if you go with people closer to your age, Smarti, it'll be less boring," explained Derek kindly.

"Okay!" exclaimed Marti cheerfully.

"All right, let's meet in front of the house at sunset and then, we'll meet our fate," declared Casey.

They nodded.

"Well, see you guys later," said Lizzie as she, Edwin and Marti turned left at the intersection.

"Later," said Derek as he and Casey crossed the street on the right at the intersection.

***

Casey and Derek walked in silence together. Casey glanced at Derek.

"Maybe now I can finally know what's up," thought Casey.

"Derek?" asked Casey tentatively.

"We're at the park," answered Derek plainly.

They advanced to the playground. Casey sat on a swing, Derek stood on one and they both started to swing.

"Derek, what do you think will happen to us when we get back at the end of the day?" asked Casey, the swinging relaxing her.

Derek sighed.

"I'm not sure. I'm sure that you'll be spared," replied Derek, jumping off the swing and sitting on it.

"How?" asked Casey.

"Well, let's see. They'll automatically blame me."

"Naturally."

"Edwin will come second."

"Of course."

"Lizzie would come right after."

"Oh no!"

"Then Marti."

"She's a little young to have done something like this."

"And you're too much of a goody two-shoes to be even considered for blame."

"Gee, _thanks._"

They sat in silence. Casey realized something.

"How can I not be blamed? I snuck out with you. I'll totally be in the danger zone for that," said Casey.

"I hadn't thought about that one," thought Derek.

He got up.

"Let's keep moving," said Derek.

"Okay," replied Casey, getting up.

They walked down the streets for about an hour.

"Where are we going?" asked Casey, starting to get irritated by the situation.

"The mall," answered Derek.

"Der-ek! We don't have time to shop!" exclaimed Casey.

"I know _that_, Princess. It's a Saturday and the mall is crowded on Saturdays, which will give our parents a harder time finding us if they come after us," explained Derek, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Oh. Right," said Casey.

They soon reached the mall's parking lot. They walked across it, already filled with cars, and went inside the mall.

**Author's note: Again, it's short but I hope that's okay.**

**Please read and review.**


	4. At the mall

Lizzie, Edwin and Marti were already inside. They were at the food court, eating. Lizzie and Edwin didn't eat breakfast and Marti simply didn't want to be left out.

"I can't believe that this is happening!" exclaimed Edwin.

"This would've never have happened if you didn't try to read my diary!" exclaimed Lizzie.

"Stop it! It's both your fault!" exclaimed Marti.

Edwin and Lizzie looked at her.

"She's right. It is our fault and she, Casey and Derek will also be blamed," said Lizzie, feeling terrible.

"Yeah, I guess so. But what can we do?" asked Edwin.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," answered Lizzie.

***

Back home, George and Nora waited by the door but none of their kids came.

"Where on earth are those kids?" asked George angrily.

"Let's go upstairs and find them," replied Nora furiously.

They went upstairs and searched every room. No one.

They met in the living room.

"They're gone!" exclaimed George.

"We have to go find them!" exclaimed Nora, now worried.

"Get dressed, Nora! That's exactly what we're going to do!" exclaimed George, heading downstairs.

Nora followed him.

***

Back at the mall, Casey and Derek were roaming around the first floor. Derek was starting to feel sleepy. Well, since he wasn't use to go bed late and waking up early the next day, this is what he got in result. Casey noticed this and spotted an empty bench.

"Derek? Do you want to sit down for a bit?" asked Casey, although she knew that Derek would be too stubborn to do so.

To her surprise, Derek nodded. She brought him to the bench. They sat down and Derek laid his head on Casey's shoulder, falling asleep immediately. Casey jumped and blushed.

"What is this? These feelings, what are they?" thought Casey nervously.

She realized something.

"These feelings…are similar to what I felt when I was with Sam and Max. Only slightly different. Like it's more meaningful," thought Casey.

Derek shifted slightly next to her.

"Could I be…in love with Derek?" thought Casey.

She looked at her stepbrother's slumbering face.

"Yeah, I think I am," thought Casey with a smile.

She put an arm around his shoulders, laid her head on his and closed her eyes.

***

Lizzie, Edwin and Marti were roaming around the second floor. They explored the stores and tried things on for fun. They sat down on a bench.

"That was fun!" giggled Lizzie.

"I don't want this day to end!" exclaimed Marti.

"I couldn't agree more, Marti. I couldn't agree more," said Edwin, hugging his sister.

"Let's go downstairs," said Lizzie.

"Okay!" exclaimed the Venturis.

They went downstairs.

**Please read and review.**


	5. Starbucks

Derek woke up.

"Huh. Guess I fell asleep," thought Derek.

He suddenly felt a small weight on his shoulders and on his head. Derek realized that his head was on Casey's shoulder and that Casey's arm was around his shoulders and that her head was resting on top of his. She wasn't moving, so Derek guessed that she also fell asleep. Somehow, he wasn't bothered by this. In fact, he could stay like this all day.

Casey stirred and Derek jumped. _He_ could stay like this all day but _Casey,_ he was sure that _she_ wouldn't appreciate it. Derek shifted, removing himself from Casey's, um, _embrace_ and let Casey rest her head on his shoulder. Derek watched her.

"She's so beautiful. Why hadn't I seen this before?" wondered Derek.

He shook his head. Where were these thoughts coming from? Right then, Casey woke up. She sat up and looked at her stepbrother.

"Glad to see you're up, Princess," said Derek.

"Derek, don't call me_ Princess._ Because coming from you, it's an insult," said Casey, rolling her eyes.

"Funny. I meant it as a compliment this time," said Derek before he could stop himself.

Casey stared at him and Derek clapped a hand to his mouth. He did _not_ just say that.

"Uh, thanks. Let's keep moving," said Casey, getting up.

Derek imitated her. They walked down the hallway in silence, listening to the buzzing of the crowd that surrounded them. Each were lost in their thoughts. Casey was dealing with her new-found feelings for her stepbrother while Derek was fighting with an emotion that still needed to be recognized.

Casey spotted a _Starbucks_ ahead.

"Hey. Do you want to grab a coffee or something?" asked Casey, slightly nervous.

"Uh, sure," answered Derek, also nervous.

They arrived in line.

"Wait. Do we even have _money?_" asked Derek, raising an eyebrow.

"All taken care of," answered Casey cheerfully.

"Hi! What can I get you?" asked the young employee, eyeing Casey flirtatiously.

Derek suddenly felt the need to slug the guy but did his best to repress it. Casey felt Derek become agitated beside her.

"Uh, a tall Vanilla Latté and…" answered Casey, glancing at Derek.

"Coffee. Just plain coffee," said Derek dryly.

"And a tall coffee," said Casey, starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Anything else, beautiful?" asked the employee.

Derek's hands curled into fists.

"That's all. Now just serve us the drinks, we'll pay you and leave my stepsister alone," snapped Derek, yanking Casey's wallet out of her hand.

"Y-Yes, sir," stuttered the employee, immediately getting to work.

He served their coffee. Derek paid him, gave him one last, final dirty look and walked off with the coffees, Casey right behind him. Derek was walking so fast that Casey had to jog to keep up. They didn't stop until they were in a completely different hallway from the _Starbucks._

"Here," said Derek, shoving the latté in Casey's hands.

"Derek. What was _that_ all about back there?" Casey wanted to know.

Derek took a sip out of his coffee before answering.

"I…don't know. All I know is that I didn't like the way that guy was looking at you. He was bad news," answered Derek.

"Oh. Thanks I guess," said Casey, sipping her latté.

"He's a guy. He must've known what that look meant. Although I have a pretty good idea what it meant," thought Casey.

They drank their coffees quietly, mainly to avoid speaking and looking at each other.

***

George and Nora were in their car. They have looked everywhere they could think of but they couldn't find their kids.

"Where on earth could those kids of ours be?" asked George, driving.

"I'm worried, George," answered Nora.

"What are we going to do when we find them?" asked George.

"We're going to hug them, we're going to kiss them, then we're going to ground them for life," replied Nora.

"Good idea," agreed George, nodding.

"Now, let's focus on finding them. We tried all their favorite hangouts and their friends but they're nowhere to be seen," said Nora.

"Where could they possibly go this early on a Saturday?" asked George.

Suddenly, it dawned to them.

"The mall!" they exclaimed together.

"Of course! They figured that if they went to the mall, it would lessen our chances of finding them in that huge crowd!" realized Nora, smacking her forehead with her hand.

"I have to agree with them. Why did we have to raise our kids to be so smart? Plus, they have Derek on their side, who's a mastermind in this sort of thing," said George, casting a quick glance at his wife.

"That doesn't matter! Head for the mall and step on it!" ordered Nora sharply.

George made a sharp left turn and they sped down the street.

***

Lizzie, Edwin and Marti were now on the first floor. They would visit the stores and try on clothing that were a little too old for them but Casey and Derek would have been able to pull off.

"I can't believe that you actually tried on the most girly in the stores Liz," said Edwin cheerfully.

"I wanted to see the world in Casey's eyes. And it felt great!" exclaimed Lizzie.

"Lizzie's a princess!" exclaimed Marti.

"Thanks, Marti!" giggled Lizzie. "And I must say you looked a lot like Derek back there Edwin!"

"I _know,_" said Edwin.

They laughed.

"Hey, isn't that Casey and Derek over there?" asked Edwin pointing.

"Yeah, it is!" exclaimed Lizzie, standing on the tip of her toes.

"Let's go say hi!" exclaimed Marti.

"Why not?" said Lizzie and Edwin together.

**Please read and review.**


	6. Realizing the truth

Casey and Derek had just finished their coffees. There was a garbage bin nearby and Derek took the honor to throw both cups out. Casey watched him silently, the emotion of love growing within her. She sighed. Everything was perfect. She still doesn't know what got into Derek, but she had a feeling that it was good.

Derek lingered at the garbage bin, lost in thought. He was still trying to figure out what was happening to him. One thing that he was certain of, it was something for Casey.

Derek turned around and found Casey standing a few feet away from him, looking like an angel. Her long brown, slightly curled at the bottom, hair was cascading slightly past her shoulders on each side of her face and her beautiful blue eyes were watching him. She was completely breathtaking.

Suddenly, Derek recognized the feeling. Love. He was in love with Casey. He had to tell her. He had to tell her _now._ Derek rushed over to Casey and grabbed her arms.

"D-Derek?" asked Casey, her eyes wide.

"Casey. I have to tell you…" started Derek.

"Casey! Smerek!"

"Oh! Lizzie! Edwin! Marti!" exclaimed Casey, freeing herself from Derek's grasp.

Derek sighed and followed.

"Casey!" exclaimed Lizzie, hugging her sister.

"Smerek!" exclaimed Marti, jumping into Derek's arms.

"Hey, Smarti," said Derek weakly.

Edwin noticed Derek's tone of voice.

"Hey, are you okay, bro?" asked Edwin.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm good," answered Derek.

"So, what have you guys been doing?" asked Casey to change the subject.

"Rampaging the stores," answered Lizzie cheerfully.

"Trying on clothes?" asked Casey with a smile.

"Yup!" exclaimed Marti.

"Uh, I hate to break up this happy reunion but look!" exclaimed Edwin, pointing.

They turned around. George and Nora were at the other end of the hallway.

"George and Mom!" exclaimed Lizzie.

"Aw, snap," said Derek.

"Dad and Nora! What're we going to do?" asked Edwin.

"What do you think we're gonna do? Run!" exclaimed Casey.

Derek scooped Marti up and they ran like their life depended on it.

"How did they find us?" asked Casey as they ran that opposite way of their parents.

"They're parents, Princess. _Think,_" said Derek, sarcasm ringing in his voice.

Casey understood. They managed to reach the mall exit without getting caught. They immediately exited the mall and ran across the parking lot. They ran all the way back home. They didn't stop running until they were all inside the house. Edwin shut the door and locked it.

"What good…would…that do? They…have…the…key," panted Casey, letting herself fall on the couch.

"All right, Marti. I have to…put you… down now. My arms…are about…to fall off," panted Derek, putting his sister down and crashing on the couch next to Casey.

Lizzie and Edwin were lying on the ground, too tired to move.

"What…a…day," panted Lizzie, breathing hard.

"No…kidding," panted Edwin, closing his eyes.

"Um, don't you guys think you'd be more comfortable on your bed?" asked Marti, still standing.

They all looked up and groaned. They got up, their muscles aching, and slowly went up the stairs. They each crashed on their on bed and fell asleep except for Marti, who played quietly in her room.

***

At the mall, George and Nora covered every floor and store and received no luck. They met in the food court.

"Any luck?" asked George.

"None. You?" answered Nora.

"No. Maybe they saw us and ran off?" asked George as a sad attempt of a joke.

"Wait. I did see a group of kids suddenly run off in the opposite direction that we were coming from. And they looked like our kids!" exclaimed Nora.

"You don't think…" started George.

Nora nodded.

"Let's go home then!" exclaimed George, throwing his arms up in frustration.

They left.

**Author's note: Uh-oh, the parents figured it all out. What will happen?**

**Please read and review.**


	7. Back home

Back home, Casey woke up. She rolled onto her side and looked at the clock. It was already 5:00pm. Casey thought about what happened between her and Derek.

_Flashback_

_Derek rushed over to Casey and grabbed her arms._

"_D-Derek?" asked Casey, her eyes wide._

"_Casey. I have to tell you…" started Derek._

_End of flashback_

"What could he have possibly wanted to tell me?" thought Casey.

She rolled over onto her other side and immediately sat up. Derek was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Der-ek! Don't _do_ that!" exclaimed Casey.

"And good evening to you too, Princess," replied Derek.

"What do you want?" asked Casey, lying back down on her bed.

"I wanted to finish what I was about to say back at the mall before we got brutally interrupted," answered Derek, lying down next to her.

"Okay. Shoot," said Casey.

"Just let me ask you one thing first. Is it possible to add more twist to this twisted day?" asked Derek.

"Nope" Casey popped her lips on the _P._

"Well, Case, I'm about to prove you wrong," said Derek smugly.

"Do tell," said Casey.

Derek felt the smugness fade away. Here comes the nerve-wracking part. Casey suddenly noticed that her bedroom door was closed.

"Uh, Derek?" asked Casey tentatively.

"Casey, listen. I'm going to tell you this but promise me that you'll not interrupt me," said Derek.

"What about the others?" asked Casey.

"Lizzie and Edwin are still sleeping and Marti is playing tea party. I think they're gonna be busy for awhile," answered Derek.

"Oh. Okay," said Casey, turning on her side to face him.

Derek did the same. He took a deep breath. The chances that Casey would flip out and reject him were higher than a sky scraper.

"Casey. I know that I wasn't completely myself today –" started Derek.

"I'll say you were."

"No interrupting Casey!"

"Sorry."

"Anyway, I had no idea what was happening to me and it took me all day to figure it all out," continued Derek.

Casey watched him quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"You see, Casey, I…I…" said Derek, feeling a blush rising in his cheeks.

"Great. I'm blushing _now,_ out of all times?" thought Derek furiously.

"You?" asked Casey, oblivious to everything.

"I…love you," replied Derek, blushing furiously.

Complete and utter silence filled the room.

"No joke?" asked Casey cautiously.

"I don't joke about this sort of thing, Case," replied Derek seriously, locking his brown eyes with her blue ones.

"Then I guess it's safe to say that I love you too," said Casey.

Derek smiled and leaned in. Casey closed the gap by meeting her lips with his. Derek deepened the kiss as he put his arms around her. Casey did the same. Finally, they let go.

"So, what do you think the others will think about us?" asked Casey, resting her head on Derek's chest.

"Well, I'm sure that our siblings will be totally cool with it but Dad and Nora, it'll probably add up to their already over-the-top fury," answered Derek.

Casey hoisted herself on her elbow.

"Let's keep it quiet for now," replied Casey.

Derek sat up, leaning against the pillows.

"If we live, I'll give you something special tonight," said Derek.

"Really?"

"Of course."

"It better be good."

"When am I not?"

"NOT LIKE THAT YOU PERVE!!"

"Ha! Ha! I was just _kidding!_"

"Idiot."

"And I love you too."

Suddenly, the front door slammed shut. Casey and Derek sat up, frozen stiff.

"Oh no…" moaned Casey.

"That's my line."

"KIDS!! WE _KNOW_ YOU'RE HERE!! GET DOWN HERE THIS INSTANT!! YOU'RE ALL IN SEROIUS TROUBLE!!"

Casey and Derek winced.

"Let's go meet our fate," said Casey.

Derek took her hand.

"Let's go," he said.

They exited the bedroom, where their siblings were waiting. They stared at Derek and Casey's intertwined hands.

"Yes, we're holding hands, now get over it!" ordered Derek. "Ow!"

Casey stomped on his foot.

"Der-ek! Don't talk to them like that! They have every right to be surprised!" exclaimed Casey.

"Got it…" replied Derek, rubbing his sore foot.

"Yeah, we are surprised," said Lizzie.

"Surprised that it happened so soon!" exclaimed Edwin.

"Yay Casey! Yay Smerek!" exclaimed Marti cheerfully.

Casey and Derek stared at them.

"What?!" exclaimed Casey.

"We knew that you guys would fall for each other eventually," said Lizzie.

"We just didn't think that it would happen this early," stated Edwin.

"Yay!" exclaimed Marti.

Derek rolled his eyes as Casey blushed a delicate shade of pink.

"KIDS!!"

They winced.

"Time to go downstairs," said Derek, releasing Casey's hand.

"Yeah," said Casey, heading towards the top of the stairs.

"Casey!"

Casey spun around and saw that it was Derek calling her.

"Yes?"

"Kiss me now so that I could at least die a happy man!" exclaimed Derek, stretching his arms wide open.

Casey giggled. This was _so_ something that Derek wouldn't usually do.

"Yes my love!" exclaimed Casey, jumping into his arms.

Derek covered her mouth with his and kissed her passionately. Casey responded with as much passion. Lizzie, Edwin and Marti made gagging noises.

"Aw, gross!" exclaimed Edwin.

"Look, we totally understand that you're in love but could you save the making out when we're not around?" asked Lizzie.

"Yuck!" exclaimed Marti.

Derek and Casey let go of each other.

"Sure. But someday, somewhere, the exact same thing will happen to you," replied Casey sweetly.

"Yeah, right," said Edwin sarcastically as Lizzie and Marti shook their heads.

"You know, we once said the exact same thing and look what happened," said Derek as Casey nodded.

"Well, not us!" exclaimed Marti.

They laughed.

"C'mon, let's go downstairs," said Casey.

They all went.

**Please read and review.**


	8. Explain yourselves

Their parents were waiting by the back door. They heard their kids' footsteps and then they stopped. _Now_ _what?_

"You went looking for my diary _again?_"

"Couldn't resist!"

"After all the trouble we went through today, and the trouble we're about to go through, you tried _again?!_"

"Yeah."

"EDWIN!"

"Ha! Ha! You never learn!"

"You're one to talk Derek!"

"Aw Casey, love, do you have any idea how it hurts to be insulted by my own girlfriend?"

"You're not hurt! Your voice is filled with sarcasm!"

"BUSTED!"

"Edwin, that line's for _you!_"

"Edwin, I'm giving you ten seconds."

"For what?"

"To run, before I kill you."

"Uh oh."

"Ten, nine, four…"

"Four?"

"…two, one."

Edwin ran to the kitchen with the McDonalds and the rest of the Venturis after him. George and Nora watched in disbelief their kids enter the kitchen. They overheard every word of their conversation. Lizzie with a diary? Edwin trying to read it? Casey and Derek are together? They had some explaining to do. They all stood in front of them, waiting.

"First of all, what was all that just now in the living room?" asked Nora.

They stared at their parents.

"Oh. You heard," said Casey dully.

"Every word. Casey? Derek? I believe that you have something to say," said George, crossing his arms.

Casey and Derek looked at each other. So much for keeping it a secret.

"Yeah, this," said Derek.

He grabbed Casey, dipped her and gave her the most romantic kiss he could muster. Casey responded. They straightened without letting go of each other. Nora sighed happily as George nodded.

"Good for you. Now Lizzie and Edwin. Though I'm surprised that you own a diary Lizzie, why would try to read your sister's personal stuff Edwin? You _know_ that's wrong! Would _you _like it if someone did it to you?" chastised Nora.

"No and I'm sorry, Liz," apologized Edwin.

"Apology accepted,' said Lizzie.

"Now, there's one last thing, I mean, two more things we'd like to discuss. First, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE DOOR?! Second, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" yelled George.

The yelling hit them hard but they did not wince. They kept a straight face and Edwin stepped up.

"Calm down Dad, please. Look, we're sorry about the window. It was an accident. But Lizzie and I are to blame, not Derek, nor Casey or Marti," explained Edwin calmly.

"Edwin's right for once. It's not Casey's, Marti's or for once Derek's fault. It's ours. I was chasing after Edwin because he tried to read my diary. We slammed the back door open and cracked the window. We're so sorry!" exclaimed Lizzie.

"And besides, we both combined our allowances and bought a brand new window," said Edwin as Lizzie and Marti nodded.

Casey and Derek looked at each other, arms still around each other. They decided to go along with it.

"They sure did," said Derek, nodding.

"And we're proud of them. Right, Derek?" said Casey.

"Right…"

"So, that's why you ran off? To buy a new window?" asked Nora incredulously.

They nodded.

"Well, then. That's a good thing I guess," said Nora.

"They'll be here tomorrow morning to install it and all. Don't worry, we paid them in advance," said Edwin.

"Oh. Okay then. You're all free to go," said Nora.

George stared at her.

"Really?" asked Marti hopefully.

"Really," replied Nora, grinning.

They all ran upstairs faster than the speed of light. George stared at his wife.

"That's it? You're just going to let them off the hook like that?" asked George.

Nora's smile grew wider and she kissed her husband.

"George. They took responsibility for their actions. They paid for the window and for the installment. I think grounding them would discourage them from continuing," answered Nora.

"See, this is why I married you. You're very intelligent not to mention beautiful," said George.

"Thanks. C'mon, let's go," said Nora.

Arm-in-arm, they went downstairs towards their bedroom.

Upstairs, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They didn't think that they would have been let off so easily.

"Edwin, Lizzie, Marti. Yes, I'm saying Marti because she was with you guys. Did you really buy a new window?" asked Casey.

"Yeah. We figured we might as well," answered Lizzie.

"I already had the measurements so I knew which one to get," said Edwin.

"It's true," affirmed Marti.

"Well, that was very mature of you guys," said Casey.

"Thanks, Case," said Lizzie, smiling.

"Well, it's been a long day. I can't believe that I'm saying this but I think it's best that we all turn in early tonight," said Derek, stretching.

"Ah, is Derek tired for once?" asked Casey teasingly.

Derek stifled a yawn.

"There's my answer," said Casey, resting her head on his shoulder.

Derek smiled.

"Let's go wash up. Dinner will be served soon and I'm starving!" exclaimed Lizzie.

Casey sighed.

"I forgot. I'm supposed to make dinner tonight. After today, I really don't feel like it. But I'll do it anyway," sighed Casey.

"Look on the bright side. At least tonight's dinner will be delicious," said Derek, kissing the top of her head.

Casey smiled.

"Let's go!" exclaimed Marti.

They went downstairs except Casey and Derek. Casey was about to follow when Derek stopped her.

"Swing by my room tonight. I promised you something special tonight if we lived. And I'm living up to that promise," whispered Derek in her ear.

Casey giggled affectionately and gave him a kiss on the cheek before bouncing down the stairs to go make dinner. Derek, feeling love struck, smiled and locked himself in his bedroom until dinner. He had some planning to do for tonight and he already had an idea in mind. And he knew that it was something that Casey would love. Derek was feeling excited for tonight and he knew that Casey felt the same way.

_**End**_

**Author's note: Hope you liked it!**

**Please read and review.**


End file.
